Love Me Tomorrow
by Servant of Elizabeth
Summary: Chao left Mahora in defeat, leaving behind a legacy she never intended to make. One who was left behind must deal with the repercussions of her actions while she struggles to cope with the loss of the person she loved most. Satomi Hakase x Chao Lingshen
1. What a Terrible Joke

**Name: **Love Me Tomorrow

**Pairing: **Satomi Hakase x Chao Lingshen

**Genre: **Romance

**Rating: **T

**Summary: **It hurts the most when everything you want is just out of reach. But as it gets farther and father away; is it ever possible for that dream to come true?

* * *

**Chapter One**

**What a Terrible Joke**

Chao needed eleven hundred Tanaka robots by tomorrow. She needed seventeen Chachamaru-Alpha Units and a railgun for six of the Beta Units by Thursday, then seven hundred smoke bombs and forty-six magical binding mines by next Tuesday. Next Saturday she would have to install all of these mines all around the city for Chao, and after that, probably run a routine check on the six or seven hundred security cameras she'd managed to install without the Neo Crimson Wing's notice. After that, she'd need to scrape together her notes to figure out how Chao's exoskeletal bodysuit would be compatible with her current resources in order to prepare it for her inevitable battle with Negi-sensei.

"Satomi-chan…please, take a break…"

Satomi shook her head, smiling and wiping the sweat from her brow as she looked up from her workbench and adjusted her glasses. To her side was the worried expression of the head of this operation herself; Chao Lingshen, and Satomi giggled and patted the girl on the shoulder.

"Really, I'm okay. I'll take a break right after this next batch."

Chao opened her mouth to protest, but quickly shut it as Satomi returned to her work; fingers flying over bits of machinery that Chao had damaged when she'd initially come to Mahora. Even if it had been just a few days ago when she'd presented the pieces to the bespectacled girl, Satomi didn't even need to consult her notes anymore, and maneuvered about the sensitive frame with ease.

She'd been at it for hours though, and truthfully, Chao wanted the girl to give it a rest; deadlines were deadlines, but hers wasn't so pressing that she needed to be killing herself over it. After all, bright as Satomi was, she knew her technology better, and could take over while the other girl rested. Satomi Hakase was just that kind of girl though; she'd finish the project in one shot or drive herself crazy halfway though and scrap the entire project. In face, the debacled girl had even built a machine to do the smashing and smelting for her, so she could move onto a new project while the glorified toasted did its work.

Chao always grinned at the thought of what agony Satomi must have gone through when building Chachamaru; the price of "childbirth" for the gynoid; after all, one could argue that in a way, Satomi was Chachamaru's mother. Had Chachamaru always been so monotonous; what did she say after her first activation, Mama?

At that, Chao couldn't hold it in, and let out an audible snort. Satomi rose and turned her head, though her fingers continued to flit undeterred about the wiring of the gauntlet, "Hm?"

Chao shook her head, that snide grin on her face, "Nothing", and leaned back against the wall.

Satomi nodded, not wanting to delve into the matter for it may have distracted her during the most difficult part of the procedure, and returned to her work. She couldn't accept willingly that magic was superior to technology, but for Chao's sake, she'd play by her rules – her absurd rules that let everything in this laboratory function without a power source or muted the explosions from every defective android the pair managed to concoct. She'd even accept that the gauntlet in her hand would let Chao become a powerful enough mage to battle a ten-year-old boy in the skies above Mahora to change the future.

She could accept that. It was just one of those things.

Sparks flew as Satomi let the two circuits join, and amazingly, the metallic wound began to seal, and the armor healed itself. Within seconds, no trace of the gaping hole in the palm of the glove remained, and Satomi turned it over and over in her hand, observing the device. It was beautiful to her; the otherworldly material without callous, neither warm nor cold, seemingly smooth and flat to the most perfect design; it was perfectly made, it was something nobody of this day and age could have made-

It was falling to the workbench with a clatter, and the desk and stack of papers were growing smaller and smaller and Chao dragged her out of the lab.

The Chao Bao Zi restaurant cart had reached fame in Mahora in just two short years, and among all of their club accolades, Satomi and Chao felt a special swell of pride in it. Out of the four of them, Fei and Satsuki being the other two, Satsuki was the only one skilled enough at the start to be anything; cook, waitress, or even cashier. The girl just had a way with people, but Satomi and Chao learned fast, and Fei was more than enthusiastic to learn, and their small cooking club had eventually turned into the lunch cart known for the best meat buns in all of Mahora. Satomi had even needed to install a hostess program in Chachamaru once they needed a second waitress.

"Two years and I'm still no closer to beating Satsuki." Chao said with a smile and a shrug as she set the basket of dumplings between them before sitting down. Since the foundation of the cooking club, Chao had tried and tried to defeat Satsuki's dumpling recipe, and though she had gotten better and better, Satsuki's pork buns stayed just a little more delectable each time, leading Chao to believe that Yotsuba was some sort of witch sent to humble her on her path to greatness.

"Maybe the great Chao Lingshen is second-best at something after all." Satomi said with a grin, earning her a dumpling rather rudely stuffed into her mouth. Chewing and sweating nervously, she consciously avoided the death-glare from across the table; Chao's grin only meaning that she was going to pay for that comment. If the Chinese girl was anything, it was a perfectionist; Chao had managed to work her way to the top; something she proved every time tests rolled around.

Satomi swallowed the dumpling heavily and opened her mouth to speak, only to receive another one crammed right where the first had been. With an indignant pout and a light kick under the table, the pigtailed girl set about chewing the mouthful in as dignified a manner as possible while her friend laughed out loud.

"You look like a chipmunk with your cheeks stuffed like that!"

Satomi's cheeks reddened, and with another heavy swallow, moved forward to swat at Chao's nose; thinking better of it only after dodging a third dumpling.

"Stop Chao-chan! You're going to kill me with those!" Yelped Satomi, waving her hands frantically as her friend gave a predatory grin and jumped across the table. It was late and nobody else was out at the cart but Satsuki, thank goodness; anyone else would have been disturbed as the pigtailed girl ran around the compound in mock fright as Chao proceeded to brandish a dumpling like some lethal weapon. Amid short bursts of laughter Chao would shout out threats or promises of 'lesser punishment' if Satomi stopped running away, and in return had to duck a soda can throw her way.

"I surrender! I surren- Mnf!"

Satomi found her pleas for mercy rejected as Chao, ever the better athlete, managed to trap her in an aisle of tables and jump forward, stuffing the cooked bun into Satomi's mouth. Satomi pouted and chewed on the dumpling while Chao grinned and returned to their table, waving to the seemingly unperturbed Satsuki, who returned the gesture before returning to whatever it was she was cooking.

_'I don't mind when Chao-chan picks on me.'_

It wasn't as if the other girl bullied her; Chao was just a bit of an enthusiastic competitor. At the very least, Satomi was glad not to be Fei Ku, otherwise Chao would always be chasing after her with nunchaku or a challenge based on one of those obscure obstacle course shows she loved to watch. Chao always teased Satomi the most; with the dumplings or making her go to bed instead of work in the lab or swiping her glasses when she thought Satomi had been staring at a screen for too long and needed to lay down. As silly as it sounded, Chao picked on her out of goodwill…although being forcefed was something Satomi couldn't imagine being good for her in the long run.

"Chao-chan is being mean-spirited today." She said, still faking her pout as she slid back into her seat. Chao was across the table, chewing slowly at a pork bun and observing her latest victim with that confident smirk she had whenever her victory was sealed. She was never like this in school; her devious streak came out after the final bell had rung, and whenever she wasn't making Ku-san the victim of her latest invention, she was

"Hm? Satomi-chan doesn't like it when I feed her?"

Satomi nearly choked on her tea – which she'd finally been able to take a sip of – and wiped at her face, trying to hide her blush as subtlety as possible.

"W-What!? S-Stop teasing me Chao-chan!"

Chao leaned back, content to revel in her victory as shown by her grin and Satomi's distress. Below the grin though, was a heavy sigh of relief; she'd barely managed to save herself there; she never wanted to hear Satomi say that she'd become second best to Chao at robotics; that was Satomi's life, and she didn't want the girl to feel like she'd been beaten at her own game, so to speak. With a final chuckle, she wiped the grin from her face, and leaned back forward.

"Sorry Satomi-chan. I'm just gonna miss teasing you, ne?"

She was surprised at her own words; she was never one to be blunt. She liked to be subtle or to leave people guessing at what she'd meant – she wasn't an up-front person. Truthfully; she'd gotten much more attached to the academy than she'd first intended.

Satomi nodded solemnly, accepting the answer and letting the meal continue on in silence. In just a few minutes, the basket of dumplings was gone, and after waving goodbye to their classmate, they began walking back towards the laboratory until Chao stopped suddenly. Turning to look at Satomi, she looked her up and down, seeming to analyze her like a specimen under a microscope. She did her best to keep from shifting uncomfortably; when Chao's eyes narrowed like that, the girl seemed to become more frightening; a different person entirely.

"Yup, just as I thought."

"Hm?" was all the confused girl could respond.

"You're tired, you're full now, so I'm sure it won't be too hard to fall asleep, and your face is red; I'm not letting you back into the lab until you've slept."

Satomi's voice fled her, and she scuffed and shoe on the ground and nodded; that had been Chao's plan from the start. Chao smiled sympathetically and patted her friend on the shoulder before turning and continuing down the path towards the Robotics Building, leaving Satomi to return to her seldom-used dorm.

_'...Baka...'_

It had been Chao's plan from the start; Chao always found a way to get what she wanted, and she wanted Satomi to go rest. She was always two steps ahead of anyone else; even her – Chao's so-called equal when it came to all things complicated.

_'...Baka...'_

Chao always found a way to get what she wanted; it drove Satomi crazy but she just couldn't call the girl selfish; that was very often the opposite of what Chao was. Even so, Satomi wished that Chao wouldn't do that to her at the very least.

_'...Baka..!'_

…Did Chao really not understand why her face was flushed and her cheeks were red? Was the smartest girl in the entire academy really that dense, or was she just too busy to notice? How could Chao just walk down that path like that without even once realizing what Satomi thought must seem so obvious by now; how could she be such an idiot? Surely some of the others had noticed by now; the way she always was following Chao around like a ribbon after a kite.

The wind picked up, and a low gust ruffled Satomi's skirt – the girl's hand instinctively flying down to protect her modesty – though she remained staring at Chao, who did nothing of the sort; either not caring if anyone saw, or not caring if _she _saw.

_'Stop teasing me, Chao-chan…'_

* * *

Author's Notes: Alright, before I get bombarded and flamed for this, let me just say that at the ending, it's Satomi feeling like Chao isn't aware of her presence in the romantic sense. I'm absolutely not saying that Satomi wants to have an intimate relationship with Chao. Anyhow, I'd greatly appreciate some reviews, and they'd likely motivate me to make the next chapter a bit sooner. Ja!


	2. Delirious

_Foreword: Thanks for the reviews; keep them coming if you want more updates. Anyhow, there's not a whole lot to say, so enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

**Chapter Two**

**Delirious**

_It was a long time ago that Satomi figured out the most obvious flaw in Chao's plans, and if she could find it, she was positive that Chao had planned for it too. She didn't mind that Chao had lied to her; Chao's mission was a strange one, and she imagined it must have made her do many things she didn't want to do. Still though – some part of her yearned to be so worthy of Chao's trust. If there was anyone who would be faithful to Chao, it was her, and yet Chao, even with her allies around her, was always all on her own._

"_You know why I love machines? They'll always follow me, ne?"_

_Satomi would have followed – she did follow, right until the end they both knew that they had to meet. Chao had said herself, Cassiopeia could only move through time; of course going through time with Cassiopeia didn't let a person change the past, it just let them do what they were meant to do at that point in time. It wasn't all that Chao made it out to be; it wasn't all that Negi-sensei or his allies made it out to be, all it did was show them the world that was meant to appear._

_So what was it that Chao-chan had even come back to this time for? There was something that she needed to do – something that was important enough for her to rip herself from her own timeline, and attempt to change, even though she couldn't change what would become the future. After all…if she changed the future, wouldn't the Chao-chan she knew stop to exist?_

_Of course not or else Satomi would have never followed her. She would have smashed Cassiopeia one of those many nights she spent contemplating doing so, and she'd have melted it down and ground the smallest of the tiny springs into a powder and thrown it to the wind. Even if it made Chao angry, Satomi wouldn't have let her just blink herself out of existence like that…it was unthinkable._

_That's why she had helped Chao-chan fight against her friends and teachers; fighting for Chao-chan's idea of a greater good that everybody seemed to think was some evil plot. She knew better though; Chao was the hero of this story; Chao-chan needed what allies should could get! Allying with Chao hadn't been a choice – to Satomi there wasn't an alternative; she'd follow Chao to the very end._

_Still though…there were times when she seriously considered destroying Cassiopeia – just so Chao could stay with her in Mahora…and the more time passed since Chao had gone, the more she found herself wishing she'd done it._

* * *

"Hakase-san!"

Satomi started and blinked in surprise, looking up from her desk and into the concerned eyes of Ku Fei. The tan-skinned girl stood with her hands on her hips, leaning forward with her lips pressed together and an eyebrow raised as if she was some extremely odd-looking species of frog. Ku had been talking about something at great length – she was aware of that, at the very least – about something she'd couldn't recall, and without a word, she dully nodded.

"Good-aru, so you'll be there! Remember to dress nice. Is important-aru!"

"Huh?" she started, Ku's comment getting her attention, "Wait, what? Ku!" she shouted after the girl, but it was too late, and Ku had scampered out the classroom and around the corner, excited about whatever it was she had to do after school. Satomi now found herself alone in the emptied classroom, having stayed after to listen to Ku talk about something and apparently having not listened to a word her friend had said, and was completely without any idea where it was she was supposed to go, when it was she was supposed to be there, and why exactly Fei-chan had wanted her to dress up.

'_Dress nice? A party? It isn't anyone's birthday…"_

She contemplated looking for Fei and asking what it was she was supposed to do – after apologizing profusely for not listening the first time, of course, but she shook this idea away. If it was this important, she must have known what it was, and besides, she didn't want to hurt Ku's feelings by saying she'd been tuning her out. She just hadn't been very talkative as of late…not since Chao had gone.

It wasn't just that Chao had gone; it was that Chao had gone in such a disgraceful way – she hadn't wanted to go away like that, had she? Even if she had needed to lose...

Satomi had absolutely no idea how Fei had managed to cope so well; probably because she had so much to do all of the time – not like her, who would just sit in the laboratory and do nothing for hours on end.

This wasn't the time for that kind of thinking, and Satomi shook her head furiously, sending her pigtails whipping around wildly before flopping back into place. She needed to figure out what she was supposed to be dressing up for, and if she couldn't ask Ku, she'd go to the next best source.

The average student would have considered Asakura or the "Rumor Mill" Haruna for information, but one word of her needed to get dressed up for something, and the two would have eleven different stories printed up and online within the hour. Satomi sweated nervously at the thought of what outlandish conclusions the pair would be able to come up with – they'd certainly exceeded expectations time and again thus far.

No; there was someone else who would know – if anyone at all could possibly know.

Exiting the classroom, Satomi weaved her way though the still-active hallways, and made her way out to the campus grounds, heading in the familiar direction to the Chao Bao Zi cart. Sure enough, she could see Satsuki manning the counter, smiling like always and handing Chachamaru a fresh basket of pork buns before returning to start the next batch.

"_Hello Satomi-chan, is there something you needed?"_

Had Satomi not been used to the sudden comings and goings of 3-A's most subtle student, Satsuki would have scared the girl right out of her skin.

"Satsuki-chan, do you know what Fei-chan is doing tonight?" she asked tentatively, looking past her for a moment to make sure she wasn't holding up a line.

It was rare to see anything but that calm expression on Yotsuba-san's face, but for a moment, the girl's brow flickered as she looked quizzically back at Satomi.

"_You've forgotten? You and Fei-chan are still going together, right?"_

Going together? Satomi blinked in confusion at this, she didn't remember agreeing to anything. She must have been more out of it than she'd thought – everyone but her seemed to know about it. As much as she didn't want to admit she'd forgotten, she needed to find out, and she looked helplessly at Satsuki for help.

"Satsuki-chan, where-"

The cook had been accosted, however, as by now the rest of the clubs had finished, and the square was packed with hungry students in an instant. Drowned out by the clamoring voices and helpless to do anything except watch as Satsuki smiled and waved calmly to the students as she made her way back to the kitchen, Satomi turned to go.

It wasn't her place to force her confusion onto Satsuki while she was busy – she didn't have any better leads though, and without anyone else to turn to, the debacled scientist weaved her way through the sea of students, and settled at a table at the far end of the clearing; just able to see from her seat whether or not the line was dying down.

"Not anytime soon." She mumbled to herself, sighing and settling in for what seemed like would be a long wait. Unawares, Satomi didn't snap herself out of her reverie as she started to slip off again; her mind leaving her body behind just as it had when Ku had been talking.

* * *

_Satomi's room was always dark; even on what rare occasions she was in it, it was only for the sake of falling asleep on something more comfortable than the sofa in the robotics lab; she really needed to set up a cot in there sooner or later. Sometimes she ate here too, but never for long before she was off running back to the lab. Clothes were strewn haphazardly around the dressers and flat surfaces, and contrary to what the stereotype of a girl's room, everything was somewhat drab and cold steel._

"_Wow," she murmured, "You sure you live here?" The girl stepped fully through the doorway and into the room, flicking on the light in the process._

"_W-Well…I didn't t-think I'd ever have a roommate…I-I'm at the far end of the dorms…"_

_The new girl shifted her pose, looking around the room in full and snickering, "Looks like this place is in desperate need of a feminine touch."_

"_H-Hey!" Hakase had yelped, shuffling into the room and flailing in distress. The girl would hear nothing of it, and promptly dropped her suitcases onto the ground with a crash before scuttling about, collecting the clothes and fast-food wrappers from the floor and depositing them in the wash and waste bins respectively._

"_Y-You shouldn't- Wait-…At least tell me your name first before you start touching everyth-"_

"_Chao Lingshen." The girl replied quickly, sorting the laundry quickly and moving to fix the pillows on the sofa, "You're Satomi Hakase, right?"_

"_Y-Yeah-"_

"_Nice to meet you!" the girl said, almost instantly in front of Hakase, holding her hand out with a smile. Startled, the frazzled girl stumbled back, only to have one of her flailing arms grabbed by the extended hand as Chao pulled her back to her feet._

"_Thanks…" she said sheepishly, bowing. Barely five minutes since she'd met her new roommate, already she was looking like a complete idiot – it was no wonder she was such a ghost in the school; barely noticeable when it wasn't time for a test or an experiment for the Science Department._

"_Hey, everyone says you're the smartest girl in the school. Is that true?" Chao asked on her way to the trash bin with arms laden with plastic bags and old soda cans. Internally, Satomi winced at the evidence of just how poorly she seemed to maintain her lodging; she really was setting a bad example for her roommate, wasn't she…_

"_Well?" the girl asked again, once again having appeared right into front of Satomi's nose without her realizing. The pigtailed girl gave a startled squeak and nearly tipped over a second time, barely managing to maintain her balance by flailing her arms like a windmill. _

"_W-well…" she paused, trying her best not to sound pigheaded, "I-I do score the highest…"_

"_That's great!" Chao exclaimed, a glint in her eyes, "Do you have a lab or something? Can I see some of your work? I heard you were in to robotics…"_

_Satomi was taken aback; nobody was ever interested in the same things as her; exactly why she was always off to the corner with her books and manuals. "Y-Yeah, I like-"_

"_Let's go! You can show me your projects!"_

_Hakase was cut off again, and didn't get a chance to protest as she was all but dragged from her seldom-used room. She didn't know what to make of her new roommate…only that she finally had someone who seemed to like the same things as her…if she'd let her get a word in edgewise._

* * *

That had been the start of it all; the fanatical exchange student which of love for robotics had finally helped break Satomi out of her shell. She hadn't been as unpopular or unlikable as she'd though – a bit of a nerd, yes – but just nervous. Because of Chao, look what she'd become now – she was respected, and-

"Hakase-san?"

This time Satomi really did jump in surprise – since when did everyone make it a point to sneak up on her? "Chachamaru-chan?" she replied, turning to face the gynoid.

Polite as ever, Chachamaru bowed before her creator, and shifted the drink tray she carried to her shoulder. "I will be attending tonight as well. My mistress has asked me to attend to watch after Negi-sensei. Do you need to perform any modifications before I leave to perform my preparations?"

Again about "tonight" – Satomi was growing more and more irritated with what appeared to be her own ignorance. For a second, she considered asking Chachamaru what it was that was happening, but threw away the idea on account of the cybernetic girl's inevitable curiosity about how she'd forgotten about…whatever this occasion was.

Wait…but if Chachamaru and Negi were attending, it must be something open to the student body, and if Satsuki knew, it couldn't have been something concerning magic or whatnot; it had to be something open to the student body.

"No, I think you'll be alright." She replied quickly, before Chachamaru could voice inquiry about her pause, "Have fun with Negi-kun!" she said, whirling around and jogging off towards the Administrative Offices before the gynoid could voice her protests.

The Administrative Offices were second in side and grandeur only to perhaps Library Island; boasting arches and gargoyles and not one or two, but actually four fountains. Satomi didn't come here often – she'd been called up once or twice by the headmaster when something was amiss with the computers and the staff was stumped, but other than that, all she'd done here was enlist Chachamaru here a few years ago…actually…that wasn't all that true…

* * *

"_Chao-chan? Why are we-"_

_Satomi was cut off by Chao's finger pressed to her lips. By now, she had become used to her friend cutting her off in her excitement, but this time the urgency in Chao's movements seemed much different; much more worried than anticipant._

_They were pressed against the wall by the gate to the Administrative Offices; Chao was barely visible in her black clothing against the shadows the arch cast, while she'd tucked Satomi in further with her colored school uniform. Satomi was more than curious; she felt a trickle of fear – she'd never seen Chao like this before. Chao was always cheerful or scheming; she wasn't ever worried like this._

_Suddenly though, she heard the sound of approaching voices, and snapped to attention. Chao peeked around the corner before quickly returning fully behind that wall. Her expression now seemed a mixture of worry and distaste._

"_This problem cannot be allowed time to take root!"_

_Satomi's eyes bogged; that was one of the professors, she was certain! A dark-skinned man from the offices she'd seen; she didn't know what his job was, but he'd been hanging around the headmaster's office._

"_Gandolfini-san, calm down a little. I mean…she's a kid…"_

"_Seruhiko-sensei?" she whispered in confusion, still in the dark as to what it was Chao was after by eavesdropping on this conversation. She knew this speaker as well; much better than the one called Gandolfini though. Seruhiko-sensei was an assistant teacher who was always in a rush, and was known about the school for being late to return grades. He was a nice man though; she didn't understand what Chao wanted to hear from-_

"_Seruhiko; she is a criminal! Do you want to give her time to act? Chao Lingshen cannot-"_

"_Calm yourself, Gandolfini."_

_A rustle of movement signified the men turning to face the voice of the newcomer, and the headmaster's cane was audible as the old man descended the stairs of the building. Satomi's heart was pounding, and she looked up nervously at Chao, who though wearing her usual cocky grin, seemed to be sweating nervously._

"_Headmaster Konoemon, you understand the repercussions of allowing Chao Lingshen to run free."_

_The old man sighed, "Gandolfini-san…Head of the Neo Crimson Wing…understand why I continue Chao Lingshen's enrolmentl in the Academy._

_The younger man shifted, "I'm afraid I don't understand what it is you're getting at."_

"_Chao Lingshen is a girl who has her own idea of the future, correct?" The other man was speechless, and the wizened old man continued, "It is the duty of this Academy to allow children to find their way in life."_

"_But she will not change, Headmaster, please!"_

"_Then it is her choice to be our enemy!" the old man spoke, his voice booming as if he was a man thrice his size, causing Gandolfini and Seruhiko to back down, "How many times has Mahora been attacked by the Kansai? How many times have the children of this academy been in peril? Too many for this old heart of mine to bear, but I have always had faith in these children!" he spoke, his voice reverberating across the courtyard, "Chao Lingshen is our enemy…but I have faith in her…"_

_Even from their hiding place, Satomi could feel the power of the old man's words. Nervously, she looked to Chao, whose expression was now far more grim. Tentatively, she reached out to Chao, who jumped at the touch, looking sympathetically back to Satomi._

"_Sorry…old man." She murmured, taking Satomi's arm gently and leading her away from the shadows; away from the arch and the offices and hurrying all the way back to their dorm where she locked the door and bid Satomi to sit down._

"_Chao-chan…?"_

"…_Satomi-chan…I need your help…"_

* * *

Again the memories melted away, and Satomi sent her pigtails dancing wildly as she shook her head for what seemed like the tenth time today. She had a mystery to solve! Quickly, she resumed her search, eventually wandering into the main courtyard.

It looked almost untouched compared to her memory of it from over a year ago. She could still picture the Headmaster and who she now knew to be Gandolfini the vigilante official and Seruhiko the mage-teacher of class 3-D. Up ahead were a hundreds of stairs, all leading up to the most regal building of all; the Main Office.

Today however, the offices were of little interest to her; rather, it was the bulletin board and event calendar posted outside the main office that was of interest, and she stopped in front of it. Dozens upon dozens of leaflets and posters adorned the board; some even taped to the wall beside it for lack of space. Satomi give a small smile at the sight of the Robotics Club poster before returning to her search.

_Strolling Club Meeting…No…French Literature Seminar…No…Dramatic Writ-_

She stopped as she reached the next item. Written in red marker in what was obvious the handwriting of a very excited girl, circled and underlined three times over, were the words, "Autumn Dance: Bring a Date!".

Satomi's jaw nearly hit the floor. Not only had she forgotten that the dance was tonight – not only had she forgotten about the dance as a whole…

…Since _when _had she agreed to go with Fei-chan?

She'd been prone to heat-stroke in her younger years, but Satomi Hakase had never fainted until today.

* * *

_Author's Notes: Well, I took the liberty to explain a bit of why Satomi so readily allied herself with Chao, even knowing she'd be making herself the enemy of almost everyone else in Mahora. Also, I'd always wanted to portray the Headmaster in a more commanding role; doesn't he have that whole Gandalf-vibe? Anyhow, drop a review please, and friendly critiquing is always welcome. Besides, I'm a bit lazy and reviews make me feel like I have a deadline, so it's all good. _

_On a side note, to anyone who drops a review, tell me what your favorite pairings are - I don't care how obscure they are. I'm pondering some new ideas, and they might turn up in one of my oneshots. _

_Ja!_


	3. Love Me Like You Loved Her

_Foreword: Thanks for the reviews everyone. I don't have that many reviewers so far, but it's nice those of you who like to post often; I appreciate the constructive criticism. My apologies to anyone who thinks that the story has a fairly slow pace, but then again, we're pretty early on, so be patient. Anyhow, I'll try to get another chapter up soon._

_I don't own Negima; all of its characters and locations belong to Ken Akamatsu. However, as of this chapter, Nanami belongs to me. _

**Chapter Three**

**Love Me Like You Loved Her**

Everything was foggy, and she seemed to be surrounded by grayish shadows that flitted about, whispering inaudible malices and pointing at her with their shapeless limbs. She blinked – or rather, she was fairly certain that she blinked – it was rather difficult to be sure of anything with the incessant pounding in her skull. Nothing was staying still, and Satomi – she was fairly sure that was her name – felt what she thought was her stomach do a flip, and she looked around trying to get her bearings.

"Where am I?" mumbled though just a moment later she couldn't remember if she had said anything at all. From somewhere far off – beyond those twisting shapes, she could hear someone; a voice she was positive she knew, but unable to remember who it belonged to. She looked around again, but everything was the same; the voice persisted though, coming from somewhere just beyond that fog.

"_Hakase-san?"_

"Where are you?" she murmured, discovering that it was difficult to speak at all. Suddenly she felt lightheaded, and all at once her vision dissolved into a blinding white. She knew that she was sore – she wasn't quite sure where it was she was feeling the pain, but was only acutely aware that it existed, and she was experiencing it.

"Hakase-san, you are awake?"

Her eyelids fell and she nodded slightly, wincing at even the small motion. She felt whatever it was her head was resting on shift followed by the rustling of clothing and something small, when her glasses were lowered into her head. Immediately, the blurs came into focus, and Satomi found herself staring up into Chachamaru's face; her head resting in the gynoid's lap. As her sight returned, her other senses were slow to follow, and the humming in her ears died down, giving the girl the chance to fully appreciate the source of the pain; the back of her head.

"You are fortunate that they did not break." The gynoid spoke.

"Break..?" Satomi murmured, her head still swimming. Slowly, she tried to raise herself into a sitting position. Chachamaru, noticing her strain, gently pushed Satomi upright, moving to support the girl's back as a precaution.

"When you fell." Chachamaru replied, "I found you unconscious on the ground without any sign of blunt force trauma or a struggle. Am I correct in assuming you fainted?"

"Fainted..?" Satomi didn't remember what had happened; just that she'd been reading something, and then she was waking up in Chachamaru's lap. "I suppose…" she said slowly, "I don't remember what happened."

Chachamaru nodded slightly before looking up at the sky. Evening was soon to approach, and her internal clock told her that it was already three-past five; Satomi must have been here for nearly two hours. It was very lucky that she had found her; otherwise Satomi would have been caught sickness from the night's chill. On the other hand, had she not shown up for the dance in time, it is inevitable that she would have been found, but for Satomi to miss the dance would have been completely unacceptable; it was a very important occasion, after all.

"Hakase-san, it is getting late in the day. I will accompany you to your room in case you require assistance with your preparations."

Satomi tilted her head, puzzled, "Preparations for what?"

Chachamaru was quick to return the gesture, tilting her head in confusion, "For the dance. Because Hakase-san is feeling unwell, I will assist with her preparations. Tell me where your dress is."

"Dance…dress..?" Satomi said; her eyes widening as everything came back to her like a smack to the face. The headache had faced but now she found herself with her heart racing and eyes wide in confusion as everything caught up to her at once. When had she agreed to go to the dance with Fei-chan, and why was Fei-chan so excited about it? Why didn't she remember any of this happening? Surely she would have noticed her classmates talking about it, or had everything turned into that much of a blur the past few months?

And…a dress..?

"I don't have a dress." She said, thinking out loud. Ever since she was a little girl, Satomi Hakase hadn't ever found the charm that some other girls saw in dresses. She preferred skirts or shorts; something less restrictive and unnecessarily long, not to mention that in just about every situation that came to mind they ere more of a hindrance than a benefit.

Chachamaru had stood upright during Satomi's ruminations, and upon seeing that her creator was making no effort to do the same, knelt down, hooking her arms under the girl's knees and around her back, and lifting her off of the ground. Surprised, Satomi's head whipped about before realizing what had happened. "Chachamaru-san, I can walk, really."

Chachamaru began moving, "I am surprised that you did not think to purchase a dress until today. We must hurry to find one." She said briskly before beginning to move forward with more urgency, her pace giving way into a jog, the servomotors in her knees clicking like the gearshifts of a bicycle before she began to surge forward with more speed.

"Purchase one!? Chachamaru-san, really, I don't know what is going on. I don't even remember-"

Cut off midsentence as was so often the case, Satomi yelped in surprise when Chachamaru bent her knees slightly, and let the coiled servomotors and shock-springs send her flying into the air; all the while keeping the dark-haired girl parallel to the ground below. The whipping of the air around them subsided as Chachamaru's jump neared its arc, and the gynoid activated the thrusters in her feet, heading in the direction of the city.

Even though the headache had gone, Satomi's head was a mess of confusion, and whereas before this would have sent a thrill of exhilaration through her, her mind was elsewhere, desperately trying to remember what everyone else seemed to know. It didn't make any sense to her; there was too much that she didn't know about – she was never this scatter-brained.

"_I have been really out of it since Chao left…Have I really been thinking about it that much..?"_

It didn't seem possible…though she certainly didn't believe that there was anything wrong about grieving the girl's departure. Still…she thought she'd still be able to at least function on a passable level – if she had forgotten about something as large as a school-wide dance, what other things could she have possibly forgotten. Nothing came to mind – of course, nothing would if she had truly forgotten about it, but wracking her brain, she couldn't fathom anything else that was out of place.

Even when Chachamaru touched down in an alleyway, Satomi had come no closer to remembering a single scrap of information. It was only nearly a minute later did she realize that they had stopped moving, and that the green-haired girl was kneeling and waiting for her to step to the ground.

"Sorry…" she mumbled, shifting and stepping to the ground. Behind her, Chachamaru rose and began walking, leading Satomi out of the alleyway and onto a bustling city street. Mahora was busy on a normal day, but it was easy for Satomi to see that the Autumn Dance was, as usual, a special occasion, as students laden with bags were running about, making last minute purchases and congesting the sidewalks into something unimaginable.

Naganoki Street was the Garment District of Mahora, and clothing and jewelry displays lined the streets. Prices ranged from reasonable to near-fictitious heights, and there wasn't a single store that wasn't known for its styles or rare fashion items.

Obviously, this was not an area of the city Satomi Hakase would be familiar with.

"This way." Chachamaru said, directing Satomi as she all but dragged the flustered girl through the throngs of people. Satomi silenced her protests and watched helplessly as the taller girl navigated the street seemingly with a destination in mind. Satomi looked at the stores that sold jewelry she couldn't see the attractiveness in and clothing she couldn't find the appeal in; she really wasn't familiar with this part of the city. Ask her to name a cell processor or a heat sink and she could list off her favorite dozen in order of ease to access – ask her about fashion or designer brands and she could only stare mutely in response.

"Here." Chachamaru said, dragging her into a ritzy store with windows laden with satin and velvet. "La Salon de la Reine" is Mistress' favorite store, she explained.

The interior of the store made the glamour of the outside pale in comparison. Everything was crimson or black, from the drapes or the leather seating or even the waitresses serving drinks. It seemed more like a lounge than a clothing boutique. In fact, she couldn't see a single rack of clothes.

"Chachamaru-chan, I don't see-"

The gynoid girl ignored her discomfort and walked up to a young woman leaning on a counter with boredom written all over her face. The counter was bare – not having even a register – save for a small book with ribbons and bookmarks jutting out at all angles. Upon Chachamaru's approach, the girl – who Satomi assumed to be a receptionist of some sort – perked up, and leaned over the counter to begin a hushed conversation with her. Satomi had little doubt that the conversation had to do with her. With a slight smile, the receptionist stepped out from behind the counter. She was of fair height and complexion with wavy reddish hair and a relatively mature figure.

"Welcome to the Queen's Parlor," she spoke brightly – a perfected chirrup in her voice, "I'm Nanami, now may I have your measurements?"

"Wait, what!?" Satomi yelped, cheeks reddening at the forwardness of the girl's approach. The flushed girl's embarrassment only deepened when Chachamaru withdrew a scrap of paper from her pocket and scribbled on it, handing it to the girl.

"Those are accurate according to my analysis." She spoke, handing the paper to Nanami. The redhead glanced over the paper, and a glint appeared in her eye. Her lips silently recited what was written on the paper, and Satomi's cheeks flared with a blush as Chachamaru's numbers were exact – right to the unnecessary decimals the robotic girl had added to the ends.

"I've got just the thing for you – come right this way." she said, walking towards the back of the store. Satomi looked to Chachamaru, who simply remained standing by the counter, before looking back to Nanami, and slowly starting after the girl. The store and the atmosphere made her feel uncomfortable, but at least Chachamaru seemed at ease…although the fact that this was Evangeline-san's favorite shop did little to ease her soul.

"Right this way." Nanami called over her shoulder, moving forward to pull aside one of the red drapes and reveal what looked like a small parlor. Satomi stepped inside, looking around at the room. A chair was in the center of the room surrounded by mirrors, and racks upon racks of clothing lined the walls. Stepping past Satomi, Nanami motioned to Satomi to sit down as she stepped around her and began sifting though the rack.

Satomi stared into one of the mirrors dully, noting how exceedingly boring she looked. It was almost as if the word "nerd" had been made especially for her – sure, she had friends and was somewhat popular now, but it didn't mean she wasn't a nerd. Behind her she could her Nanami flipping through racks of clothing five at a time, pausing occasionally to inspect a dress before shoving it aside and continuing with her search. Satomi gave something akin to a whimper – there wasn't a dress in this entire room she could imagine wearing.

"Here we go!" exclaimed the older girl, returning with a hanger and deep-red plastic garment bag hiding whatever it was that was strung from it. Satomi looked at the hanger quizzically, looking up in distress at the receptionist – she truly didn't think she was cut out for a dress, and she was praying that by some miracle the girl would read her mind, agree, and somehow convince Chachamaru the same and to take her home.

However, Nanami didn't seem to want to hear a word of it, and proved to lack any form of the psychic powers Satomi had wished her to have. "I'll wait outside until you're done changing." She chirped, and without skipping a beat, promptly departed from the changing room.

The sound of the door shutting behind the redhead was as loud as the rally call of a firing squad to Satomi, and she stared helplessly at the shut door for what must have been an entire minute before turning her glace to what she had been handed. Looking at the bag and hanger, Satomi sighed in defeat – Chachamaru and this new acquaintance seemed intent on stuffing her into a dress – she might as well get it over with. Laying the ensemble down on the counter by the mirror, she grasped the zipper of the bag, tugging it downwards to reveal its contents.

From outside, Nanami tilted her head in confusion as she heard the squeak of Satomi Hakase nearly fainting for the second time in her life.

Inside the room, Satomi stared at the contents of the bag with what she could only describe as pure, immeasurable horror. It was a form-hugging black dress of the most silky-smooth material Satomi had ever felt. A long slit traveled up the length of the right leg, stopping right above the knee. That was the least of her worries though; the outfit came with polished black high-heels, slender black gloves that extended up to the elbow, and…

"Y-You've got to be kidding me…"

As if reading her mind, Nanami called through the door, "Change into the outfit – _all_ of it!"

"B-But…" Satomi sputtered, holding up the black, lacy lingerie with the same expression as if some maniac was lunging at her with a knife in one hand and a severed human head in the other. Why was this included in the outfit, and why in Kami's name did this store sell it as a set; what did they think she would be doing in that dress!? She hadn't never even…contemplated wearing something like this – she had ever even thought about _buying _something like…like…

"Hakase-san," called Chachamaru's voice from the other side of the door, "Do you require my assistance?"

"N-No!" squeaked Satomi, yanking the curtains around the booth shut and blushing furiously. She didn't even remember the dance, and now she had to dress up in…this!? This all had to some kind of fever dream – she must still be unconscious in the courtyard. Yes, she had suffered a mild heat stroke, and someone had sent her to the infirmary; all of this was just a fever dream and whatever antibiotics the nurse had put her on.

This was all just wishful thinking however, and moments later, Chachamaru deemed that Satomi was taking too long, and promptly barged into the room, accosted her creator, and set about changing the girl like she was an infant under her care. Showing unrivaled professionalism, Nanami managed to keep a straight face even as Satomi began screaming bloody murder and the sound of clothing begin thrown about and mirrors being clacked against one another filled the air.

Minutes later, the door opened, and Chachamaru exited, Satomi's school uniform folded neatly over one arm. Nanami looked to the robotic girl who stood opposite her, and looked expectantly to the doorway. Slowly, the door creaked open, and from behind it, a slender form slipped out, hands nervously laced together in front of her. Satomi's cheeks were flushed red, and her eyes peeked timidly at the pair over the unfamiliar lenses she'd been given.

"It is a lovely ensemble, Hakase-san."

"Woooow…you did a nice job Chachamaru-san!"

Satomi shifted about nervously as the praise and the outfit drew attention from the small congregation in the lounge. The dress fit perfectly, and with the gloves, heels, and whatever Chachamaru had done to make her air cascade down her pack perfectly straight cast a stunning picture and the gynoid had even swapped her glasses for a smaller, more subtle pair.

Nanami grinned, nodding in approval, "Wow; is she even wearing the-"

"Yes, I saw to it myself." Chachamaru replied, cutting the receptionist off to preserve some shred of Satomi's modesty and failing in most if not every respect.

"C-Can I change back now..?" the girl in question squeaked, eyes darting around nervously as she struggled to force the blush from her cheeks. As confident as she was in front of crowds of people, that didn't apply to when she was dressed like _this. _It didn't matter that there couldn't have been more than fifteen people in the shop at the time; it was fifteen more pairs of eyes scanning her up and down than she would have liked.

"Negative," Chachamaru said, sending a jolt of fear and confusion though Hakase, "We will be late if we do not leave immediately. I will perform my preparations when we arrive."

Her mind was racing. Did this mean that Chachamaru was planning on having her walk through the entire city dressed as she was? Already in this room she had more eyes on her than she would have liked; not only that, but she didn't even know those people – what about everyone who would be at the dance? What would all of her classmates say?

"There is no need to worry, Hakase-san." Chachamaru said as Nanami handed her another bag strung from a hanger. Satomi was about to ask about how she was supposed to pay for the lavish ensemble, but silenced her words within her throat as Chachamaru withdrew a number of bills from her pocket and handed them to Nanami.

The stares persisted even after they left the parlor, and all the way to the alley where Chachamaru shooed her into. Satomi didn't ask; only pressed her hands down to keep the wind from flaring and compromising her modesty as Chachamaru picked her up once again and leapt from the ground.

"It's enormous…" she murmured.

Even from down here in the city, Satomi could see uphill where the dance was. Though not quite as large as the Ultimahora, the Autumn Dance was a dazzling festival of lights that seemed like an enormous explosion of color that encapsulated the entirety of the school grounds. Far below she could see the people scuttling around like the smallest of insects, running about in bright and sultry clothing everywhere from the roof of the school to the beach of Library Island.

She had never formally attended the Autumn Dance; she and Chao had always stayed to man the Chao Bao Zi cart, which became more popular than ever come time for a festival. Satsuki would drag out that monolith of a cookbook she kept locked in her room, and she'd make something new each time, sending sales through the roof. In fact, of the entirety restaurant cart staff was on duty at the time of the dance except for Fei-chan.

_Fei-chan…_

Satomi gulped; this year it would be just Satsuki running the wagon, with Chao gone, Chachamaru sent off to watch over Negi, and her and Fei apparently going to the dance together. Did that mean that she and Fei were…?

Wait…no…Fei-chan didn't like her that way, did she? She couldn't – she was positive that she couldn't have forgotten something like that. True, she'd forgotten that today was the dance, but she couldn't have forgotten something like that, right!?

…but that nagging little voice in the back of her head wouldn't stop reminding her that the proof was written in stone.

She was attending a dance for couples…with Fei-chan.

As many times as she'd said it over in her head, the growing realization didn't quite hit her full-force until Chachamaru's thrusters began to guide them back towards the earth, using the glare of the lights to descend to an unused rooftop. It was impossible to word it any other way; her date with Fei-chan was drawing closer with every foot of altitude Chachamaru descended. Whereas the flight hadn't caused a problem the thought of the dance sent butterflies dancing in her stomach, and she felt ill at ease.

"You should relax," Chachamaru said, touching down gently and kneeling once again so that Satomi could stand, "I understand that it is only the opinion of the person you are dancing with that matters, correct?"

Satomi stared at Chachamaru bewilderedly, wondering if perhaps she'd made the gynoid a bit too insightful. Sometimes it was hard to forget that where there was skin it was actually synthetic fibers, and where Chachamaru's eyes were set a complex network of optic sensors. Slowly she moved to the side, swinging her legs over at the same time due to the awkward movements the dress was forcing her to make.

"Chachamaru," she said softly as she rose, looking down off the side of the roof at the festival below, "It's that…I don't know what I myself think. I have no idea what is going on." She finished, sighing and stepping back, turning to look to the girl. She was surprised to find Chachamaru changed into a simple but elegant long chartreuse dress than held to her figure nicely, and now the android was kneeling down to collect both of their uniforms into the bag.

"I am told that such is often the case." she replied, setting her shoes on top and rising.

"By who?" Satomi replied automatically, feeling her distress override her normal mannerisms.

It was rare for Chachamaru to show happiness, but the gynoid let a small, peaceful smile appear on her face as she turned to descend the nearby stairwell.

"By you, Hakase-san. You are the one who programmed me, after all."

Up close, the lights nearly blinded Hakase, who hadn't had enough time to adjust to anything but the darkness of the night sky, and the all-encompassing noise seemed unnaturally loud compared to the calm flatness of Chachamaru's voice. Once again, she felt herself being guided by Chachamaru, walking along the alley and around the back of the lot of buildings, seemingly en route to the courtyard that introduced the Girl's Dorms to the rest of the campus.

She could hear the chatter of students all around her, and in the slats between buildings she saw small crowds of girls as young as elementary students scuttling off to some attraction that had been erected in time for the dance. She could even pick out the familiar sounds of the Class Rep squealing Negi's name, and the equally familiar smack of Asuna's fist against the smitten girl's skull, the additional crash probably meaning that Asuna had knocked the girl out of the air.

Even after five minutes of walking the noise and lights weren't any less intense, and Chachamaru seemed to be scanning the grounds for cover for Hakase's sake. Satomi smiled in relief; at her core, Chachamaru was still a bodyguard, even if her charge typically wasn't the modesty of her creator. The pair moved from the shadow of the buildings to cutting through one of the grassy knolls, avoiding the paths lined with confection booths and gift stands. The dorms were within sight now, and small groups of students littered the grounds; some waiting for their friends or dates, and others simply looking for a spot away from all the festivities.

They stepped back onto the path now, and moved quicker; Satomi found it nearly impossible to walk in the high heels on anything that wasn't completely flat, and hadn't there been anyone around, would have asked Chachamaru to just carry her like before. Unfortunately, she'd had to stumble her way across the courtyard, thanking Chachamaru mentally with every step that the gynoid had chosen a path that made them hard to see. Amazingly enough, even walking on the path they hadn't drawn attention to themselves. Satomi could only hope that the rest of the night went so subtly by.

No sooner than they entered the fountain clearing was that hope effectively crushed, as Saotome Haruna, dressed in a burgundy dress that had to be an infraction of half a dozen school regulations and wearing an expression that suggested she had half a dozen others more in mind looked over and noticed them. Her ever-present antennae perked up as she sensed something in the works, and curiosity drew her over like a moth to a flame.

"Hakase-san, is that you?" she asked, grinning broadly and tipping her glasses to look over them, "Wow, someone wants to get lucky toni-"

The most unlikely of saviors came in the form of Yue, who – looking like she felt as awkward in a dress as Satomi did – had taken the liberty to cram a deviled egg in her friend's mouth. Bowing mutely to Satomi, the shorter girl grabbed her friend by the arm, and hauled her across the courtyard in the direction of Nodoka.

"I-I can't do this…" Satomi whimpered, finding herself blushing furiously once again, and shuffled behind Chachamaru, who was feeling decidedly less helpful, and moved to the side.

Chachamaru turned her head, scanning the fountain clearing before stopping suddenly, zooming in on a target. Taking a second to double-check and confirm her analysis, she turned to her creator. "I must go and observe Negi-sensei for now. Do have a good time Hakase-san – it is a very special night." Before Satomi could react, the gynoid walked past her, heading back to where they had last seen Negi. It wouldn't be until later that Satomi would think back and swear that there had been a blush on Chachamaru's cheeks.

Now alone, Satomi glanced around the courtyard at who was gathered there; the Library Trio seemed to have gathered around a bench, Haruna's wild gesturing to Nodoka no doubt another one of their plans to force their shy friend to confess to the child-sensei. Sakurako and Misa were strolling down the walk, talking excitedly and probably on their way to meet with the third member of their trio. Other than that, it was just Satomi, and a number of girls she vaguely remembered attended Saint Ursula's School.

It was then she made the same observation that Chachamaru had – the figure sitting on the edge of the fountain facing the opposite direction. Her hair shone with more of a golden sheen than she'd ever seen it before, and her tanned skin seemed to have a vibrant glow to it that the light played to. Her dress wasn't so much a dress as a cheongsam; not one of her normal ones – this one must have been threaded by some sort of fanatical perfectionist, and the red material and golden designs hugged the curve and bend of the girl's body.

"Fei-chan..?"

Satomi didn't know how she possibly could have been heard from that far off, nor did she know when the girl sitting on the fountain's edge had risen from her spot and walked over. All she knew was that she was staring at Fei Ku's face, just a foot away from her own.

And then she was six inches away.

Then only three.

And then the tan-skinned girl was kissing her.

_Author's Notes: There we go; I'm proud of how this chapter turned out considering that my spell-check wasn't working and that I wrote it all in one sitting. I'd especially appreciate reviews for this chapter because I'm really trying to flesh out a distinct feel for Satomi as I see her. Don't worry, other characters will appear, and yes, Fei Ku will be a very integral character in the story. I'll get to work on fleshing her out once that spatula arrives in the mail so I can scrape her off of Satomi. ;;_

_Keep those reviews coming everybody! _


	4. Voices In My Head

_Foreword: Thanks once again for all the supportive reviews everyone. I apologize for up and disappearing after saying I was going to post the next update soon, but rain forced my school to close for a day, and to compensate, my workload was doubled the next few days. Well, I'm proud to present the fourth chapter in the story, and I warn you, this is where the story starts to become weird._

_I don't own Negima; all of its characters and locations belong to Ken Akamatsu. However, Nanami belongs to me._

**Chapter Four**

**Voices In My Head  
**

Her heart was beating harder than she'd ever thought possible, and it sounded like a hammer was slamming repeatedly at her ribcage. While the tan-skinned girls eyes were closed and her blush was modest, her eyes were wide and stark and at least a third of the blood in her body must have rushed to her face – that would explain why she suddenly felt so weak in her knees. She'd have stepped back in the other girl's hands hadn't found her own and pulled her into the motion so quickly, and she had found herself effectively immobilized; her body refusing to respond in any way.

"_F-Fei-chan i-is…"_

"Hihao Sacchan…"

Fei's lips had left hers, and immediately Satomi stumbled back, wide-eyed in terror. Her first kiss had been stolen right out from under her; the kiss that she had imagined with Chao so many times. The familiar blush didn't rise to her cheeks; it was likely her heart had stopped providing the blood that would have been needed, and she could only gape as she continued to stumble away from the girl.

"S-Sacchan?" came Fei's voice, and Satomi could practically hear the worry dripping off of the girl's words. She didn't care though. Something was wrong with this world – she had known something was wrong and she'd still played along all day, why had she let it get so out of hand!? Fei's eyes were wide and frightened now, and she took a step towards Satomi, and in turn she took another step back.

"_This can't be real, it just can't!"_

She didn't have amnesia, but yet there was so much she didn't remember that she should have. It all had to be some sort of fever dream; something that she would wake up from and a moment's notice. Wishful thinking however, didn't stop her from turning and running full pelt away from her would-be lover. Fei could only stand by the fountain, staring after the girl in stunned silence.

"S-Sacchan..?"

"_Can't be real…"_

She wasn't waking up; all she was doing was stumbling down a pathway she had just walked up. It didn't matter that people were staring or that she finally realized her eyes were cloudy with tears; she just had to get away. None of it made sense; nothing was how it should have been. The tears were making it harder to see, and the distraught girl was stumbling even worse than before. She didn't slow down though, because slowing down would mean that everything she was denying would catch up to her.

Was she losing her mind? That hardly seemed a likely scenario; nothing had ever happened to her that could have pushed her that far, she had thought to herself. Then again, it would explain so many things. It was too easy a way out though, and couldn't possibly be the true answer behind everything. Something was happening; something that she didn't have any idea about, and she desperately wanted to know what.

"Hakase-san, what is the matter?"

Satomi was forced to a sudden halt when the gynoid's firm grip stopped her in her tracks, nearly taking her legs out from under her. Satomi whirled to glare at the girl left not five minutes ago, "Let me go!" she shrieked, struggling in her hold. Chachamaru didn't listen though, and did just the opposite, and maintained her hold, tilting her head in an expression of confusion. She did not understand; she had only left her, what could have possibly happened so quickly? Granted, Ku Fei may have lacked tact in some respects, but surely she couldn't be so bad as to warrant this much grief from her creator.

"Is there trouble with your-"

Chachamaru didn't get to finish her question as her vision was overtaken by a flash of white, and her arms went slack. Satomi landed in a heap, pulling herself up and running away from the gynoid and thanking whatever god or angel that was listening that she'd remembered Chachamaru's override code. Then again, it wasn't so hard to forget – the password was _Chao Bao Zi_, after all.

She could hear the gynoid call after her, and there was no doubt that Chachamaru was going to chase after her – the override program was temporary, of course. Wiping furiously at her eyes, Satomi ran blindly away from the lights, running down the path towards the station. Behind her she could hear the clacking footfalls of Chachamaru, and was thankful for the first time for all the people around – with them around, Chachamaru couldn't use her thrusters to chase after her.

Soon, colorful banners and streamers became sparser, and as Satomi ran deeper into the business district of the city where celebrations rarely reached, the noise and light of the festival became merely noise in the background. Chachamaru couldn't be too far behind – with the night sky as cover, for all she knew, the gynoid was already in the air looking for her, and Satomi began ducking into smaller streets and alleys, running without thinking.

Even without the festive setting though, couples and students roamed around out here, turning to look as the sobbing girl ran past them. She didn't care though; this all was fake – every last bit of it. She wasn't sure how it was happening, but there wasn't any reason for her to give a damn anymore, not if caring only made her cry like this. She stumbled down a staircase, nearly knocking over a group of three she recognized as the cheerleader trio from her class. They all called after her, Sakurako even trying to catch up, but Satomi blundered her way around the corner and out of sight.

"Why am I running!?" she shrieked at herself out loud, even though she already knew the answer. It was because if she stopped, Chachamaru would catch her and make her face this reality that she didn't accept – this world where everything seemed perfectly normal to everybody but her. It wasn't reality, she screamed to herself, not sure if it was out loud or in her mind this time.

She wanted to scream for Chao. She wanted to beg the departed girl to come and make everything better like she always did. Whether it was a smile or a hug or one of her silly inventions to test on Fei, Chao had always made everything better. Even if she was hard at work in the middle of a project, she would have dropped everything and dragged her out to a movie if the bespectacled girl was feeling sad. Chao had been so caring it made Satomi's heart hurt and had driven the girl sick with love, and all of it had been scorched when Chao was forced to go.

All of those memories gone, like a single happy day in the sun…

* * *

_The air was balmy and was perfectly complemented by the gentle breezes that rolled through the city. Satomi didn't have a preference in weather, it was all really the same in her opinion – it wasn't as if she intended to spend her day outdoors anyway. She'd much rather spend it indoors; perhaps unwrapping those sparkling new processors she'd bought for herself as a gift for First Place at the Robotics Meet, or maybe calling Chachamaru over and installing that emotion emulation software she'd just finished. Yet she found herself out in the city._

_Perhaps it was because she was from the future, and life in Mahora must have been like an extended vacation to her, but Chao loved to walk around outside when the weather was nice. The girl who was the best at everything she tried couldn't help but put aside her work or her plans and slack off a little for once in her life whenever she heard of something interesting happening in the city._

"_Interesting" by Satomi's standards, was a multi-organization mimetic organism. _

_The same word by Chao's standard meant a new dish at her favorite ramen parlor._

_Satomi didn't know what the reason was behind Chao's love for ramen, apparently she'd never had a whole lot of it where she'd come from, and had fallen absolutely in love with it as soon as she'd arrived here. She was always eating it in the lab, much to Satomi's distress. Just one drop on the wrong console could send the entire lab up in flames within minutes. True to form though, she'd never seen the Chinese girl spill even a drop._

_Such was the reasoning behind today's excursion into the city. Satomi had only managed to hear the words "ramen" and "stingray" through her faceplate and the roar of the welding torch, and had barely managed to intuitively shut the flame off before she was bodily yanked from her workbench and dragged from her lab. Her protests were met with Chao's reasoning that if Satomi didn't get some more sun, she'd test out her new tanning bed on her, and the flailing girl immediately quieted down – she didn't want to be the guinea pig for an invention that put her between what was basically two enormous waffle irons. _

"_What're you going to order?" Chao asked from her seat across the booth, chewing on a fingernail as she skimmed through the menu for the new dish. _

_Satomi pouted, still slightly annoyed that Chao had dragged her from a perfectly good day of slapping together old inventions in the lab into a new Nikuman-9500. She could have made her collection into a perfect dozen in just a few hours. Exhaling softly to release her tension like she'd seen in some documentary she couldn't quite remember, she glanced down at the menu. By the fifth item down, she found herself recoiling from the menu as if it had tried to write her._

"_What's wrong?" Chao asked, acting completely the opposite and leaning in to read the ingredients for each dish in the fine print._

"_Chao-chan, I remember this place! Half of this stuff has given me food poisoning!"_

_Indeed, the first time she should have seen it coming. Satomi had never been able to stomach ginger very well, and back then was before the menu printed its ingredients below the dishes. The ginger broth had made Satomi sick to her stomach, and Chao had put her on bed rest for a week – in her room, no less! She'd missed her lab like a mother would a child, but Chao was an unrelenting nurse, and Satomi had made it a promise to herself not to catch a stomach bug on her watch._

_The second time had been the chef's fault actually, and everyone but Chao had gotten sick from the bad stock of beef. Chao's stomach had to have been lined with steel or something of the sort, because when Satomi had half-finished her bowl and decided to order a bowl of rice instead, Chao had finished her serving off as well. This time it was just some stomach cramps, but Satomi had come not to trust the food at this restaurant._

_Somehow Chao had convinced her to come along again, and everything had gone well until what must have been the eleventh or twelfth time. The restaurant had just expanded, and even she had been looking forward to some new dishes. The chef had been getting better, and she and Chao had begun to share a preference for the same dishes. The food was fine, this time it was the tea, which had a had a garnish of ginger than Satomi had mistaken for a lemon, and she had been lucky that Chao had been there to catch her when she suddenly blacked out on the way home._

_Since that incident, she'd always ordered rice at the ramen bar. Chao had said time and time again that she was fine with trying out a nw place to eat, but Satomi stubbornly insisted that she was fine. In truth, she really didn't care all too much about the food – she just wanted to have a good time with Chao. If Chao wanted to eat ramen, so be it then, they'd go to the ramen bar._

"_Hm? So?"_

"_The new stuff sounds even worse! What exactly IS liver-chop surprise and why does it say not to lay down for at least an hour after consumption!?" she squeaked, reading over the ingredients incredulously to make sure she hadn't hallucinated the ridiculous item. Looking up, she felt her stomach churn when she saw Chao staring at the same item, all but drooling onto her menu._

_Satomi felt ill, even though she'd ordered the same dish as always and actually rather enjoyed her meal. It hadn't been until she looked up to find Chao indulging herself in a third bowl of the forebodingly churning maroon broth did she feel her stomach twist into a knot, and once the smell of burnt rubber and fish reached her nostrils, Satomi gave a groan of pain and excused herself from the restaurant, staggering to the door._

_City air was never fresh – as beautiful and open air as Mahora was, this was doubly true near a restaurant, and Satomi could smell the pollution of civilization at work. Still though, even the impurity of auto exhaust was nothing compared whatever it was Chao was eating. Breathing slowly, Satomi pressed a hand to her stomach. She'd always had a stomach that got upset easily, but she couldn't understand how even the strongest stomach could survive the battering Chao's eating habits gave it. Suddenly, the bell above the door chimed, and Satomi looked to her side as her companion exited._

"_Aaah…that was nice You okay?" Chao asked, patting the girl's back. Satomi nodded, then scowled, flicking what looked like a bit of raw pork off of her friend's cheek._

"_Heeey, I would have just eaten that if you'd told me…" grumbled Chao, actually casting the bit of meat a forlorn look. The Chinese girl quickly burst into laughter at the indignant scowl on her friend's face, and without another word, grabbed Satomi by the hand and hauled her off again._

_Moments later Satomi found herself sitting on a bench in the courtyard surrounding the World Tree. With a good-natured sigh, she looked over to Chao. The Chinese girl sat to her right, licking contentedly at her ice cream and staring up at the monolithic tree. She quickly jerked her head back when she saw Chao looking back at her, and focused her eyes on her shoes as if they were the most interesting things in the world, letting her hair fall forward to hide her blush._

_Chao tilted her head, but shrugged and returned to her ice cream. "It's going to melt if you don't eat it." she said. The sudden slick cold feeling along her hand was right on cue, and Satomi squeaked, hurriedly licking at the sides of the melting treat, blushing embarrassedly._

_By the time Satomi had reached the cone Chao had finished her ice cream altogether, and let out a happy sigh signifying that she was finally full. With a lazy smile she leaned back in the bench, staring up at the branches of the tree. She loved how the leaves would flutter in waves in the ever-present breeze around the tree._

"_You know…I didn't really like the outdoors back in my time." Chao suddenly said._

_Satomi looked quizzically at the girl, ice cream smeared slightly over her face since she'd rushed to finish it. Chao closed her eyes in thought and continued, "I like it here because…it's so different, you know? You'd probably be the same if you'd gone to my future."_

_Chao's words hung in the air, undisturbed except for the rustling of another breeze stirring the leaves above. Satomi found words in her throat, though she was struggling not to say them. However, the silence got the better of her, and she managed to stutter out a response._

"_N-No…" she said, her cheeks flushing just lightly enough for Chao not to have noticed, even if her eyes were open. "It wouldn't be any fun without Chao-chan to show me everything."_

_This time it was Satomi's voice that lingered, and Chao cracked an eye open and grinned. "Oh? That's not like you Satomi-chan, although I admit that I do brighten the place up quite a bit." she said with a wink._

_Despite her blush, this sent Satomi into a peal of giggles, and Chao, grinning impishly, hopped to her feet. "I'll teach you to laugh at me!" she proclaimed, "Come on – to my favorite spot!" The girl pointed up at a branch high above them, surrounded by a nest of leaves the formed a half-dome over it, almost like a small cave of vibrant greenery._

_Satomi had calmed down and tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? How are we going to get up there?"_

_Chao stuck out her tongue, "Like I said, I'm gonna teach you for mocking me." She said with a grin Satomi knew to mean nothing but trouble. "Don't scream," she added, and grabbed Satomi's hand. _

_It was fun, even when Chao was teasing her, but she still screamed when she suddenly found herself high above the ground. It was scary, being this high up, but Chao had a firm grip, and whatever invention she was using to jump this high, Satomi was sure that if Chao could trust it, it wouldn't let them down._

_Even before her feet touched down lightly on the branch, Satomi was breath-taken by the view. The leaves formed a bubble around them from which they could look out at the entirety of Mahora. Satomi could see Library Island and the clock tower in the distance, and over in the courtyard she could see Satsuki and Chachamaru manning the restaurant cart. Everything looked so small from up here, like toys in the chest of some diminutive god. _

_Somehow she'd managed to tear herself away from the view, and glanced over to Chao, who was staring out across the grounds with a serene expression. The corners of her mouth were raised in a calm smile, and her eyes were gentle – more like the lull of an ocean than the crack of lightning and maelstrom intent she usually had. For once – just once – she looked at peace._

"_Chao-"_

_She was cut off. Chao hadn't said anything or grabbed her and pulled her along or anything of the sort. Rather, Satomi found herself immobilized by nothing so large as the presence of Chao's slender arms wrapping around her The hug couldn't have lasted more than a second, and as Chao pulled back Satomi couldn't see any blush on her cheeks or love in the girl's eyes, but it still stunned her._

"_Thanks for always being my friend, Satomi-chan."_

* * *

A loud snap broke her out of her thoughts, and she was aware she no longer felt the ground under her. She was facing the sky, or rather, the glittering branches of the World Tree, decorated with thousands upon thousands of lanterns stretched out like cobwebs from what must have been over every single one of the street lamps that lined the walks around the tree. It was like a spiraling cone of light, drowning out the stars in a canopy of merrily dancing flames as her dimension of sound was swallowed up by the sound of rushing air. She felt weightless.

"_I'm falling…" _she realized. High heels weren't made for running, after all.

The hard concrete was unforgiving as the girl's head slammed into it with her entire body's weight behind it, and the sound of the air was replaced with a sickening crack that seemed too loud to be real. Her entire frame stiffened, and far away she heard herself scream. It didn't hurt though; she didn't even feel an ache; all she felt was as if she was laying in a pool of warm water, though the far-off screams she made out probably meant something else entirely.

She couldn't remember what she had been thinking about a moment ago; all she knew that she was a lot calmer now having forgotten about it, and so she let it go for the moment. For some reason, it felt right to be laying here; her body didn't want to move and she couldn't object to its reasoning, she was feeling absolutely exhausted. Part of her was aware that she couldn't feel anything and that she should be worried, but the other part was aware that her body was still and probably ached something awful, and told her it was alright to just lay there a little longer.

It was becoming harder to think as her head lolled to the side, and her glasses slipped off her face, making a wet sound when they hit the ground. She didn't care, she couldn't exactly find anything in particular she wanted to think about. By now she could make out nearly a dozen pairs of legs out of the corner of her eye, and felt hands gingerly touching her, worrying and fretting over something her sluggish mind couldn't quite keep up with at the moment.

Something made the people around her move to the side, and she could see the hem of a familiar dress before its owner crouched down, touching her cheek with her hand. She could feel the stiffness of Chachamaru's hand on the back of her head, and heard the distant murmurs of Chachamaru saying something she couldn't quite understand. Chachamaru was crying – gynoids can't cry; try as she might, Hakase had never been able to finish that emulation program. It was just reticular cleaning fluid leaking through the ducts at the base of Chachamaru's eye sockets. Chachamaru couldn't be sobbing; it had to be a glitch that made her body heave like that as she rubbed at her eyes.

"_Silly…" _she thought to herself as she saw the red dripping from the cybernetic girl's hand before it returned to cradling her head. Machines don't bleed – only humans do; the android shouldn't be getting all worked up - it wasn't as if she could bleed to death. Chachamaru was saying more things, but she couldn't listen, and simply stared wherever her eyes were facing; it was all she found she could do.

She could see the trunk of the World Tree from where she lay, thankfully unobstructed by the throng of legs around her. Her ears were ringing now, and she accounted it to the pain in her head for causing this discomfort. She felt horribly tired too, and even though the middle of a walkway was no place to be resting, her eyelids wanted desperately to shut, but she forced them to stay open for just a minute longer.

She saw something.

Up in the lowest branch of the tree was a cross; a speck in the distance from where she was, but a cross. Without her glasses, for some reason it was clearer to her than even her arm laying inches from her face. A halo of light was around it; the lanterns, bathing it in a golden glow as if it were some deity come down to claim her, and she was unable to tear her eyes away from it. Even when the blackness began to creep in at the edges of her vision, the cross was as clear as if was right in front of her nose.

That was it. That was what had been wrong this entire time. So used to seeing that one spot in the tree every time she looked at the great plant, that without realizing it, the simple, easy to overlook presence of that cross had been driving her crazy. A simple little speck in the distance – all of her confusion could have been solved if only she had seen it sooner. She didn't know how she knew – only that it was all she knew now. The cross was why she was here and why this world was the way it was.

How did she know that simple cross was so important?

"_That's where Chao-chan-"_

Her eyelids fell shut without warning, and the ringing stopped. With a mirthless giggle within the recesses of her mind, she noted that she in fact hadn't seen her entire life flash behind her eyes. Her thoughts became lost in the inky blackness before the entire world faded away, and with it so did Satomi Hakase.

_Author's Notes: Well, I feel comfortable with Satomi's character, so now is when I begin to shape it to my own vision. Don't worry, she's not dead - obviously - but don't go making assumptions about anything just yet. Actually, when you drop a review for the chapter, if you feel like taking a guess, post it as well. Anyone who is remotely close will get a cookie. Ja_


	5. Fallout

_Sorry for the slow update, preparation for finals and a few culminating projects seriously cut into my writing time. Thanks for all of the reviews, and I hope that this chapter was worth the wait! Instead of Satomi, Chapter Five takes place from the point of view of another one of my favorite characters..._

_Response Time!_

_ShadowNeko13 - Thanks for the constant support!_

_Magic Blue Fire Kitsune - Good guesses, but as this chapter will show, it's much, much more serious than something like a coma_

_Yurifan - Not much to say except thanks for the support!_

_Andre Corbin - I'm flattered. I'll try to get updates out faster, so keep checking in!_

_I don't own Negima; all of its characters and locations belong to Ken Akamatsu. However, Nanami belongs to me._

**Chapter Five**

**Fallout**

A long time ago, she remembered the first time she'd raised her gun, matching the crosshairs to the target standing down the target range. Even though it was her first time, she wasn't nervous; her hand didn't shake the same way everyone else's would the first time they hold a lethal weapon in their hands; maybe it was the way she was holding it. Sweaty palms couldn't have applied to her, after all – the barrel of the weapon was protruding from her arm.

Also, normal people would use ordinance that _didn't _blow out the back of the entire shooting range. Satomi had been pleased though, managing to squeak out a "Success!" amid peals of giggles.

That was a long time ago, however. Today was no laughing matter; there was none of Satomi's laughter, and it was highly unlikely that the targets would be so cooperative as to line up and wait patiently for her to line up her shots. Rather, the grayscale of the alleyways turned into a blur as she ran through them, ducking and weaving as the telltale clicking of pins warned her just in time to dodge the hailstorm of gunfire. The sensors mounted on her head screamed at her, telling her just when to flip and jump to the side until she could make it to the next turn and buy herself a fraction of a second to assess her situation.

_Tactical Armed Neutralizing Agents for Known Aggressors, codename TANAKA. Mass-Produced hunter android designed by-_

Chachamaru's thoughts were cut short as the shrill scream of her sensors nearly floored her, and she blindly threw herself to the side, stumbling for perhaps the first time in her life as she found herself in another alleyway rather than the brick wall she had expected to hit – sometimes her systems were two steps ahead of her mind, if such a thing were possible. The hostiles were right on top of her though; their servomotors were at least twice as loud as hers, and they weren't trying to be subtle; it was a simple search and destroy mission.

Chachamaru had taken about seven steps – lightning quick bounds by human standards – before she heard them round the corner. She could practically feel their eye boring into the back of her skull; lining up their crosshairs before raising their arms and unloading the clips of ammunition stored in their fingertips. Again the roar of gunfire filled the air, and as Chachamaru whirled and spun across the narrow alleyway, the stray shots sent up a cloud of shrapnel. Again she threw herself sideways, skidding into another alleyway and charging down it. There wasn't enough time to whip around and squeeze off a shot with her arm-cannon; they were behind her and turning would telegraph her movements and give them time to react and open fire.

_Making up for quality with quantity…_

Even if she was the superior unit, the Tanaka units had been designed to attack in tandem; they were herding her into the labyrinth of alleys deep in the city. If her maps of the city were accurate, and they always were, then it was likely she was being led to a clearing on the west side, where a dozen of the narrow passageways opened up – the perfect place for an ambush.

Chachamaru gritted her teeth – frustration was also something she was unused to; she'd much rather have developed more enjoyable emotions, but such wishful thinking just didn't seem to be in the stars. A particular beeping in her sensors would have sent a normal person into a tirade of curses with their meaning, and Chachamaru leaned forward, trying to exceed what she very well knew what her maximum land speed was.

"LAUNCH: WASPERINE" came the mechanical grating of the Tanaka's voice.

_Type MKO-III Wasperine: Anti-Android Missile effective at any range. Highly maneuverable. Warhead sufficient to pierce the hull of an Abrams tank…_

…_It is doubtful I could take a direct hit and still hope to get away…Where did they manage to acquire-_

She was cut short once again by the twitching of her sensory units; alerting her just in time to hear the firing of the shoulder-mounted missile pack. Displaying more emotion that she had in the first two years of her life, Chachamaru swore under her breath, another artificial emulation, and for once found herself completely without a rational solution to the situation at hand. This alley was a dead end; the same could be said for her if she didn't find some way to dodge the homing missile that would slam into her back in exactly two and a half seconds.

"This will be…unpleasant…"

Lowering her head and throwing her arms up to protect her face, she threw herself forward, slamming into the concrete wall much harder than her streamlined frame would have preferred. As inhumanly strong as she was, the gynoid couldn't help but close her eyes, not wanting to see the wall as she crashed against it. The wall exploded inwards, however, and Chachamaru fell forward with the rubble. Her internal timer reached zero, and with a desperate shove, she heaved her body to the side as a thousand optical displays clouded her vision with images of the missile hurtling to punch a hole in her abdomen.

The missile flew past her by a margin on centimeters. Chachamaru had just enough time to see it streak to the opposite wall only meters away before her vision was drowned out by a searing white. The explosion was deafening, and Chachamaru gave a surprised grunt as the explosion blasted her clear across the room, sending her crashing through chairs and booths and even what felt like a bar; suspicions confirmed as glass and wine exploded around her.

Her back slammed finally against the opposite wall, and it was the robotic body alone that made her twist in the air to land shakily on her feet. Had it been simply her body to control, she'd be on the ground. The uneven footing the rubble provided caused the gynoid to pitch forward, and instantly a hand shot out to the nearest table to steady herself. Glancing over the destruction the room had suffered, half of the building had been incinerated in a second; even part of the room looked like it had been cut out. She would be lucky if a few damaged motors in her knees were the worst scars she'd have from this incident.

…_Already..?_

Chachamaru's head whipped up, eyes narrowing to focus through the smoke and rubble. A flicker of movement caught her eye – they were already after her – and she wrenched herself to the side, hand still gripping the table firmly. With a grinding sound, the metal bearings of the table snapped free of the ground, and the gynoid hurled the table like a discus. Not waiting to see whether or not the projectile met its mark, she ran to the side, leaping out the demolished wall.

As she ran down what had once been the pier she could hear the heavy footfalls of her pursuers against the wood; they were farther back this time. The gunfire came again, splintering wood and punching holes in the sides of buildings, but it wasn't as heavy or difficult to dodge; she must have done some damage with that table.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting static sound ripped through her sensors, and she stumbled. Her optical display suddenly wasn't that of the docks, but of dozens of satellite views of Mahora and the alleys. She could see down where she was; her body was dodging the shots on programming alone, and the Tanaka Units were quickly closing the distance. That wasn't why her sensors had gone haywire though; the feeds showed something else – a swarm of the hunter robots rushing towards the heart of the labyrinth. Something had attracted their attention – a small lump huddled into itself, unmoving.

Had she the capacity, Chachamaru would have gasped, but that wasn't something her emulation software was capable of letting her express, she simply balked. She was a creature of statistics and probability, and what she was seeing was absolutely illogical in every possible sense of the term. She should be back at the laboratory, running schematics or exchanging kisses with her "ministra".

She snapped back to attention as every view cut to the image of a hulking man wearing a sickening grin. Flanking him were several others identical down to the number of hairs on their heads, grinning with equal malice as they leveled their weapons. She shook her head and the screens disappeared, and she could see the edge of the pier ahead where waiting just around the corner was a platoon of heavily armed cyborgs ready to rip her apart.

Muttering curses she wasn't aware were within her emulation software, Chachamaru thrust her arm out in front of her. The plating of her arm gave way to the familiar shape of her cannon's barrel. Rationality software couldn't help her in the least; strategy and planning wouldn't work any miracles here. The corner was just meters away now; she could hear the clicking of weapons behind her and to the other side,

"…Again…painful…" she mumbled, as a countdown flashed across her eyes. This was a bad, no, a horrible idea. Unfortunately it was the lesser of two evils, and attempting to make a stand with the odds so stacked against her would be suicidal.

"…Not much better…"

The countdown hit zero, and she stepped around the corner, nearly crashing headlong into the squad of mechanized sentinels. Immediately the gunfire erupted – too fast for her to have time to calculate the most effective way to dodge. She threw herself blindly forward, and fired her cannon at the ground below.

For the second time in only a few minutes Chachamaru found herself flying though the air, bits of gravel and cement flying up in the air around her. The gunfire had stopped though, she noted with a satisfied nod, and she twisted about to observe the damage done.

The pier was missing a large chunk. The burst of energy had blown a crater into the concrete, and around the perimeter of the depression Chachamaru could see several ruined robots, their bodies twisted and warped from the force of the explosion. Several more had been thrown off of the docks, sinking into the water and down to the bottom of the lake where they'd hopefully remain until she was long gone.

Subtlety had gone out of the window with that last explosion, and her satellite uplink alerted her that the Tanaka Units were rushing towards her from all angles. The green-haired gynoid's brow furrowed; within thirty seconds, she'd be surrounded again. She waved the displays away however, they weren't the prime concern. The view zoomed out and panned to the east, zooming back in and focusing back on the fountain clearing where the person lay unmoving.

…_How!?_

There was no mistaking who it was; Chachamaru wasn't capable of such a human mistake. A school photo and name flickered across her eyes, and she shut her eyes. Her legs touched ground and immediately kicked into a sprint, sending her down the shortest path towards the fountain square. She'd lost any hope of sneaking into the city; there wasn't any reason not to just charge in – with any luck she'd be able to at least outrun them to the square – she had to get to the fallen girl before the Tanaka Units did what they'd been designed to do; Elimination.

It would have been so much quicker to fly, she mused. The faded scenery of Mahora blurred around her as she ran faster than her optics were able to adjust, and it was still too slow. It couldn't be helped though – she hadn't flown for a long time. Nothing had, in fact. Anything that made it above the rooftops would be targeted by every drone in the city, and even she lacked the maneuverability to dodge that many shells.

A window shattered around her as she dove into a building, tearing out through the back door as easily as she had the glass. The view of a wall greeted her on the other side before she slammed through this one as well. The fastest route between two points was a straight line, after all. The gynoid brought her arms up and lowered her head, charging blindly ahead.

Finally, sunlight greeted her vision instead of another wall, and the gynoid lowered her arms. A flush of green and shale erupted around her, and Chachamaru took a moment to collect herself. Greenery was something rare in Mahora these days; everything had withered and turned to dust such a long time ago, even she was shocked to see it.

She'd have to come back later if she wanted to enjoy the scenery; she was now only a few hundred meters from the coagulation of red markers on her radar; a perimeter of them separating her from the unconscious figure she'd detected only moments ago. With the slightest effort she brought up the satellite display and flitted through the information. The target had fallen near the old fountains.

Chachamaru groaned internally; even if she had abandoned her usual tactical mind-frame several minutes earlier, she still would never have wanted to stage a fight on such a poor battlefield. The fountain yard was nothing more than a large clearing with little in the way of cover. From a soldier's standpoint, it was the last place anyone would want to try to defense, let alone orchestrate a rescue operation. Dozens upon dozens of probabilities continued to flood her systems; every number among them unfavorable.

She could see the fountain now. No longer did her boots clack loudly against cobblestone, but instead make wet slapping sounds in the shallow water. One of the sides of the fountain had crumbled away, and the stone sculpture of a mermaid pouring water into the fountain from an urn had lost her head and most of an arm some time ago. Now, water flowed freely from the damaged fountain into the flooded courtyard – that explained the local greenery, at least.

With one footfall, everything erupted into startling motion at once. A stray thought had told her that she was now close enough to make out all of the intricately carved scales on the woman's tail. A stray breeze ruffled some garment nearby and Chachamaru saw a white coat fluttering about. Most dire however, were the dozen or so Tanaka units that were now barreling across the clearing towards her.

"TARGET CONF-"

'_Shut up…'_

Words became incoherent gurgles and screeches as the head of the robot was reduced to a mess of molten steel and circuitry. Its comrades didn't spare their fallen member a second's thought and continued their surge forward. Chachamaru's mind was a fluffy of algorithms, and the gynoid squeezed off three more shots before willing her arm into the shape of a blade. Letting them reach the figure huddled by the fountain was not an option, and Chachamaru leapt to meet the approaching horde.

The arc of her jump cleared the fountain, and the gynoid spun, bring her arm full circle to hack at the crowd, spinning and stabbing wildly. Too close to use their cannons, the Tanaka units were forced to swing wildly at the girl as she flitted under and around their lumbering punches. Six more of the assailants had been felled, and the five remaining weren't making any more progress than the others had.

It wasn't enough though, she thought to herself as she drove her blade to its hilt into the chest of another Tanaka, yanking it free and spinning to the side before the hulking figure collapsed forward. For every one she would cut down here, there were thirty more on her radar that drew closer with each second she wasted fighting this crowd.

"TARGET-"

"SHUT UP!" she shrieked, sounding less like an android and more like a girl than ever, smashing a fist into the face of the offending droid, changing it into her arm-cannon and firing a bolt of energy directly into its head.

Her sensors registered the smell of burning metal and synthetic skin, and on reflex her nose wrinkled in disgust as she whirled, firing rounds of shimmering blue at anything that moved. By now the reinforcements were pouring into the clearing, and Chachamaru began firing randomly into the groups, not taking the time to line up precise shots.

'_It's no good…I can't do anything with such limited weaponry…'_

Today was just supposed to be reconnaissance: of course she hadn't brought any of her heavy weapons. Her blade and cannon could only do so much, and with the Tanaka units swarming into the fountain clearing, filling her map with a flood of red beacons, her efforts were like a mouse raising a twig against an elephant.

Useless.

The gynoid's sensors had been screeching warnings to her the entire time; it would have been all but impossible for her to notice the newest signal piled on top of all the others. Her eyes barely had time to lock on to the missile before it was too late, and even with her reflexes, Chachamaru didn't have the time to spin away.

The rocket struck her in the side, and immediately her vision flickered into a white static that she recognized as pain – her version, at least. Blinded by static and deafened by her sensors, Chachamaru managed to make out through the chaos that she was no longer standing on solid ground. That was to be expected though, she grimly assessed – she'd taken a direct hit after all. A loud crash and a sharp jolt told her she'd his something, and a second jolt alerted her that she was now resting on the ground.

The Tanakas though; it wasn't as if they would stop simply because she'd been downed. They'd finish her then proceed to execute their programming – including exterminating the figure in white.

Chachamaru hissed; filled with an emotion her systems failed to recognize as desperation. It wasn't just her curiosity about this mysterious figure lying prone in a city where everyone was supposed to be dead. She didn't want to die! Five years ago she'd have died for her missions in a heartbeat – metaphorically speaking – but now…she'd grown somewhat used to living; to the few emotions she could feel pride in having.

"It's human…to want not to die…" she mumbled, clenching a fist as her systems returned to life. Body control was still repairing itself, and she couldn't control much more than her arms, but at the very least, the static and the sirens in her head were beginning to dissipate. She could see the black shadows lumbering over to the corners of her vision and tensed, her joints tightening as whatever it was that stimulated adrenaline in her sprang to life.

Her arm was damaged, she assessed as she shoved herself to her feet; she wouldn't be disarming a bomb anytime soon. Grimly she shifted her cannon back into the shape of her arm and balling her fingers into a fist. This was useless: she'd left the heavy cannon, the missile pack, the claymore, and even the burst pack at the armory. Without the use of her cannon, she was restricted to melee combat. Her creator would have been proud to see her whirling and weaving as she was, her fists shooting out with whip aside a punch or tear through the face of one of the Tanakas.

She was a gynoid – an artificial person – but she had been designed to be as close to a human as possible, and as such, the overclocking of her systems couldn't be sustained for very long, and she felt the adrenaline slowly begin to ebb. Between blows her gaze flickered back to the figure unconscious on the ground. She needed an opening – there was no way she'd be able to make one with her being so outmatched; she needed to survive long enough for her attackers to give her one.

Easier said that done, of course; even if she could dodge and fell the legion currently swarming her, the satellite feed would send her an image every few seconds of additional troops headed her way.

A hard fist grazed her cheek as she bent back to avoid several others just like it, and Chachamaru grit her teeth. Twisting around, she planted both hands firmly on the ground, whipping her legs around and smiling in satisfaction when she felt her foot grind through the head of one of the mechanized soldiers. A black boot was nearing her head rapidly, and with a twirl the green-haired girl threw herself up into the air, spinning into a flurry of punches that forced several of the crowd back and decapitated several more. Again and again she would narrowly dodge their blows, ducking and pirouetting away from attacks that drew increasingly closer with each passing moment.

'_Too many…"_

A well-timed flip sent her just out of the reach of a haymaker thrown by one of the robots, and gave her the altitude to assess the situation. Of course, she'd already know from the constant barrage of information from her network, but she'd _wanted _visual confirmation. Not that it did her any good however; just a few meters into her arc she could see that where she was about to land was as congested with the grinning henchmen

…As stressed though, she'd already known that.

It took careful footwork to land with one leg to either side of the person on the ground; she didn't want to end up crushing the life from someone she was attempting to rescue. In only a fraction of a second the Tanakas were on her heels, and Chachamaru whipped a leg upwards, knocking the head clear from its shoulders with the spike of her heel. Leg still raised in the air, she arched back, grabbing the white-clothed person unceremoniously by where the scruff of their neck should be, and threw herself forward. The second both feet were on the ground Chachamaru cradled the person haphazardly and threw the entirety of her weight forward, kicking off from the ground, one thought running through her mind the entire while.

This was such a horrible plan…

It takes quite a bit to catch a robot off guard, and this went doubly so for the lifeless husks called Tanakas. Her improvised tackle, however, seemed to be an exception though, and she crashed headlong into them, bowling them over before leaping again.

The air around her exploded in gunfire; the Tanakas that were rushing into the clearing from the opposite end were firing at her with the accuracy of…well, something armed with a military-grade targeting computer. Unable to return fire or use any spinning maneuvers lest she injure the bundle in her arms, Chachamaru could only run and weave to the best of her ability. Her designer would have been proud as she fled the army at her back, exceeding all of the probabilities her systems spewed at her. If she survived this, she'd be a walking miracle.

Also, if she somehow managed to survive, she'd come back with her entire arsenal later and wipe out these cockroaches of the robot world.

The gunfire eventually began to thin though – just in time, because Chachamaru could feel her systems begin to lose the boost of power. Still though, she charged for the safety zone; somewhere near the perimeter of her Master's base of operations. If she made it to that general location, then she would be fine. Her uplink showed the horde following her start to thin as they began to break formation and retreat to wherever it was their tide stemmed from. All she needed was another thirty seconds; thirty seconds and they'd be safe from-

"Mmmnnh…"

It takes quite a bit to catch of robot off guard, and this was just as true for Chachamaru as it was for the Tanakas. It wasn't even the fact that the person she cradled was alive – that was why she'd gone through all the trouble in the first place. From the way she had been holding the person, the white garment obscured the figures face and body; there hadn't been a way for her to identify the person.

"My head…"

"_That voice-"_

For a moment, the normally-composed gynoid faltered and landed the tiniest degree off-center. Without her arms free to brace herself, Chachamaru had no choice to whirl around as she pitched forward so that her back took the brunt of the fall. Thankfully her ears were met only with the sound of crunching gravel as her momentum sent her sliding for the length of whosever driveway she'd been running down. She didn't want to imagine what sort of damage there would have been to repair had she slid along a street at that speed.

Without thinking she was already back on her feet, clutching the bundle to her chest as she posed to spring once again into motion. She stopped though; her sensors had settled back into their usual dull hum – the chase had been called off, it would seem. Instead, the subtle machinery mounted where her ears were concentrated on the sound of the heart beating against her chest – not her, but that of the person in her arms.

"My Mast-"

She never finished her sentence as she suddenly pitched forwards, shock written across her face as her tired systems immediately began to shut themselves down. The shot had caught her clear between the shoulderblades, and she barely had time to acknowledge her vision blinking before fading to blackness. Her audio followed a second later, and then finally her consciousness, for which she was the most glad. She had grown tired of running for her life every time she went outside. She'd grown tired of the rubble where houses had been. Most of all though, she'd grown tired of the lifeless streets of a city where nobody lived anymore.

"Satomi..." she mumbled.

_Author's Note: Another cliffhanger? Of course! I hope that this chapter was worth the wait, and that the action appeals to anyone who enjoys Chachamaru as a character. The next chapter is in production, and I apologize if there is another unforeseen delay. Reviews are welcome as always. Ja!_


End file.
